Volkswagen Passat TDI Attempts to Set Fuel Economy World Record

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Volkswagen of America is setting out to challenge the existing Guinness World Records achievement for the lowest fuel consumption around the lower 48 U.S. states for a non-hybrid car.

Two drivers will campaign a 2013 Passat TDI Clean Diesel from Volkswagen’s Virginia headquarters through an 8,000-mile journey across the 48 contiguous states before returning back to their starting point. The trip will take approximately two weeks and the drivers will stop at various points along the way to share their experiences.

The Passat TDI has an estimated highway fuel economy of 43 mpg, allowing it to go up to 795 highway miles before needing to refuel. Wayne Gerdes, founder of cleanmpg.com, will be the primary driver and will be assisted by Bob Winger, an electronics engineer involved in energy and conservation projects.

For the challenge, the Passat TDI will use Shell ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel and Continental PureContact with EcoPlus Technology tires to help reduce rolling resistance and improve fuel efficiency. To precisely measure fuel economy, the Passat TDI has been equipped with a Linear Logic ScanGauge II and a Droid RAZR MAXX HD smartphone to provide Guinness World Records tracking requirements.

“It’s going to be a great adventure and I’m confident we can improve upon the current record of 67.9 mpg in the fuel-efficient Passat TDI,” Gerdes said.

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Slinky

Great challenge but I am very happy with Passat TDI manual averaging 48 MPG on my daily cummute of 124 miles. 119 of the 124 are free & clear highway miles. Have achieved 53 MPG a few times when I keep it around 70 MPH

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